Launi Meili has been head coach of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s rifle program since 2007. She came to USAFA from Nebraska, where she coached for five years.

"Coach Meili brings a wealth of experience as not only a proven NCAA Division I head coach, but a world-class competitor as well," said former Associate Athletics Director for Programs Col Billy Walker.

"We were very impressed with her understanding of the Academy and our mission to produce leaders of character and how intercollegiate athletics contributes to that mission. I’m quite certain Coach Meili will develop us into one of the elite programs in the country."

In 2017, Meili took Air Force to its fifth NCAA National Championship. Following the nationals, Air Force athletes earned seven All-American Awards, to include All-Americans selected to the College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) team. Air Force finished eighth in the NCAA and fourth in the Patriot Rifle Conference (PRC), with two members of the team earning all-conference awards. The team also won the President’s Trophy for the third-consecutive year.

In 2016, Air Force finished fourth in the NCAA. Going into the NCAAs, Air Force was ranked sixth in the CRCA Polls (Feb. 16) and went on to finish fourth in the overall team standings with a 4669.

The national finish is the program’s highest finish since 1996 (second).

Air Force had one cadet-athlete, senior David Higgins, make the 2016 U.S. Olympic Smallbore Team, while freshman Spencer Cap made the 2016 Junior Olympic Team, and senior Ryan Jacobs made the 2016 U.S. National Team.

In 2015, Air Force had its second NCAA team qualification and finished seventh in the country, and senior Meredith Carpentier (the only AFA shooter to qualify in 2014) and junior Tyler Rico earned NRA All-American honors as well as receiving honors from the CRCA.

In 2013, Air Force made its first NCAA appearance since 2003. The rifle team finished fifth overall in the NCAAs and Carpentier and Rico were selected All-Americans (first and second team).

Since Meili joined Air Force, eight cadets have earned All-America honors 22 times.

Since joining the newly-formed PRC in 2014, Air Force’s finishes include: 2014—second, 2015—fourth, 2016—fourth and 2017—fourth. In 2017, the rifle team concluded the season in the PRC (5-6), and had a 15-6 (.714) season record. Meili is 105-74 at Air Force.

Following the 2017 PRCs on Feb. 4-5, two Air Force members were named all-conference in air rifle. Sophomore Spencer Cap placed second, and freshman Logan Ogden was third in the conference. The season was capped off with a new team record 4704 scored in the NCAA qualifier match against TCU on Feb. 18, 2017, and followed by the team’s selection to the NCAA Rifle Championships in March.

Prior to Air Force, Meili was the head coach at Nebraska, where she led the all-women Cornhuskers to a No. 2 national ranking in the 2004-05 season. The team finished fifth at the NCAAs in 2007. While at Nebraska, she coached 21 All-Americans, an NCAA individual champion and placed seven women on the U.S. Development team. In addition, Meili led Nebraska to a pair of Great American Rifle Conference Championships, while earning coach of the year honors in 2006.

As a shooting competitor, Meili shot for the U.S. Shooting team for 10 years. In that time, Meili participated in two Olympic Games, two Pan American games and a World Championship. During her career, she produced three world records, three Olympic records, a world team championship and the Olympic Gold medal in Barcelona in 1992, becoming the first American woman to ever win gold in smallbore.

She also placed 11th in air rifle in Barcelona after finishing sixth in air rifle and seventh in three-position rifle at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She remains the only woman to compete in both events at two Olympics. Meili is also a seven-time national champion in three-position rifle, setting three world shooting records and numerous national records in her outstanding shooting career.

After retiring from competitive shooting in 1992, Meili spent 10 years coaching junior and elite level shooters and instructing athletes at shooting clinics and camps nationwide. She served as assistant coach for the U.S. National Rifle Team from 1997 to 2000 and is helping coach the residents at the Olympic Training Center. Meili helped produce the International Coach Certification Program, the highest level of coaching credential recognized by USA Shooting and the National Rifle Association.

During the 2004-05 season, Meili was recognized for her outstanding achievement to the sport by being inducted into the International Shooting Hall of Fame. In 2014, Meili was the inaugural ISSF Junior Cups coach, a new Championship series featuring competitions for junior athletes in Olympic and Youth Olympic events, with the competitions held in Suhl, Germany.

Meili earned her master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Idaho in 2001. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Eastern Washington University. She has written "Rifle: Steps to Success", published by Human Kinetics in 2008. She has also created the "mental training workshop" taught to athletes, coaches, and business personnel in the U.S. and Japan.

A native of Spokane, Wash., Meili and her husband, Kevin Geddes, have a son, Bryce Owen.

"Over the last few years we’ve made it onto the national stage. I’m proud of the team and all they have accomplished together and individually. While we’ve been in the top five as a team, we have had four team members make the U.S. National Team, with three shooting in World and International competition representing not only USAFA, but the United States. We are heading in the right direction and will continue to improve as our incoming classes continue to get stronger and stronger."

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